Creature Comforts

[j.sabourn]

It seemed to me that creature comforts for ships crews were always slow in materializing in the building of British Ships. Ships built prior to 53 all seemed to have the old sytem of the Header Tank where the fresh water for domestic use was pumped up either once or twice a day and usualy found on the Monkey Island and the poop deck if raised. Cabin cooling or heating systems were non existant apart from the use of fans or the electric radiator if lucky. New buildings after this time at least the ones I was on were considered luxurious to this as had a Thermotank system ( maybe an engineer will know if this was just a Trade name or not) This was a blower system delivering air to the accomodation. Believe this may have had some sort of heating system, but never had a refrigerating unit installed. So always delivered warm or hot air depending on the outside climatic conditions. This unit was nearly always found also on the Monkey Island. The british shipowner rarely went above the mininum required limits by law as regards crew accomodation, even the bunk sizes were usually the mininum sizes allowed. Then wham must have been the late 60"s and 70"s all things seemed to change and nothing was too good. Either they had a change of heart or were told to lift their game. Some ships I was on latterly any of the older seamen at that time coming back would have called us pussy cats. Air conditioned ships unheard of in days gone by I took over a survey vessel in Malaysia from the uk. The owner wanted to put on the Australian coast and asked me if it would be accepted. I had to tell him no way unless the ship was air conditioned as the maritime unions would not accept. Cheers John Sabourn

[Calvin Kent]

Not before time though. I was on Shells Plagiola carrying bitumen and the pumpman paid off sick, possibly suicidal depression, so was introduced to the pumproom until a replacement could be coerced. I can't remember what temperature the cargo was heated to before discharge but you didn't walk across the deck in bare feet. We only went down the pumproom in pairs, did what needed to be done and then pushed and pulled each other back up the ladders with every bit of steel down there looking to burn you . A simple job like opening or closing a valve with a wheelkey was knackering. The sweat would scald you as it evaporated. I could never understand why there wasn't a windy fan and tube rigged up.

Regards

Calvin

[Samlander]

My time at sea amounted to little more than a dog watch, compared to the rest of you, but I did sail on two ships that were built before the old Archduke Ferdinand got filled in. One was a slow old coal burner, but she was considered a comfortable old tub, and besides, we were unaccustomed to luxory in any form.
Liberty type ships had messroom fridges, but being under the Red Duster, nothing to put in them, except the Black Pan bologna, beetroot and onions for the overnight watches.
A Blue Funnel A Class ship was the most luxueious ship that I ever sailed on - that was 1949. Never sailed on tankers, so missed the fun and frolics described by Calvin.

[j.sabourn]

Ref. to previous post re. malaysian survey vessel ex. British vessel. The surveyors room containining all the computer equipment was air conditioned as all the expensive gear had to be kept at a constant temperature. Unlike the crew who were not considered expensive I suppose. I have no doubt the new owner would have when he could afford, have the air conditioning extended to the crews accomodation. All the years under the British flag however had never been done. Cheers John Sabourn.

[happy daze john in oz]

Conditions varied from something out of Newgate prison to third class hotels for most crew. But we accepted it for what it was and rarely complained. Some of the accomodation on modern ships would make the Ritz look second class.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
I suppose it was all relevant, no doubt the men who sailed in the old days of sail would have called us pussy cats in 1949 with a fan, and two to a cabin, and a proper mattress and bunk. My brother sailed on the last trip from Aus on the Pamir, now that was tough. I went aboard the Global Mariner in Sydney in the 90s that was the ITWF ship with all the films of poor working conditions in the modern flag of convienience ships, I think I was better off in the 50s.
Cheers Des

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[Louis the Amigo]

hi shipmates, speaking to many of our oldtimers over the years, who sail before the mast, and on trawlers and coasters in the early days of steam The ships were not just called {hardships} by newspapers and storytellers that word still means the same today. They were very tough men who did a tough job. I had words with an old irishman seaman then 92yrs a few years back, R.I.P. who was at sea in them bad days only brown stew {tropics}or salt horse with crackers to eat days he said we all got payed for nothing ????he allmost attacked me, when I told him we had a cabin each on some ships and a bar for the crew.and the food on most ships was very good.He though i was taking the p--- never in his time did any seaman have that.

[robpage]

The " Thermotank " system was an invention of the refrigeration and ventilation company J E Hall of Dartford Kent , they are still making equipment and are now part of the Daikin Group , the Thermotank division is based in Scotland . and there equipmant is on the QM2 J & E Hall International - Hall Thermotank Marine Systems they have been around since 1785 and were part of APV at one stage , they have had a chequered history , but there early CO2 refrigeration systems were on the older Union Castle Mail ships and Regffrigerated cargo ships , there are no engineers who can remember CO2 Refrigeration with affection , it was a very high pressure system there history is well documented Twentieth Century: Industry - J & E Halls and the refrigeration revolution . The thermotank ventilation was a fan , or plenum chamber pumping air over a heat exchanger , which was heated or cooled , this air was then humidified to condition it as required and passed to cabins normally outlets through a directional vent . The trunk was galvanised , but the humidity and the heating / cooling matrix were prone to catastrophic rust . There seemed limited on board knowledge of these things , and the air conditioning aspect was poorly taught ,most people regard air conditioning as cold air , whereas the humidity is the crucial factor not the temperature

[Captain Kong]

We had the Blower system on the Sam Boats. Blu Flu`s Euryades we never used them, Punka Louvres I think they were called. When we were in the Spice Islands for six months, every time we opened them a Million Copra Bugs shot out all over the bunks.
.
.Not before time though. I was on Shells Plagiola carrying bitumen and the pumpman paid off sick, possibly suicidal depression, so was introduced to the pumproom until a replacement could be coerced. I can't remember what temperature the cargo was heated to before discharge but you didn't walk across the deck in bare feet. We only went down the pumproom in pairs, did what needed to be done and then pushed and pulled each other back up the ladders with every bit of steel down there looking to burn you . A simple job like opening or closing a valve with a wheelkey was knackering. The sweat would scald you as it evaporated. I could never understand why there wasn't a windy fan and tube rigged up. CALVIN.
.
Hi Calvin,
Bitumen was heated up to 160*c. On the ESSO AVON a purpose built bitumin carrier we had double skin decks four feet above the tank tops. and still hot on deck, and the ships hull was also double skinned, and that void space was used for ballast after the ship had cooled down.
It was a very dangerous cargo and many proceedures had to be gone through before loading and discharge.
Cheers
Brian.

[j.sabourn]

Dez I had one bad experience of such and walked off after 9.5 months in Japan. Was a 12 months contract so lost most of my wages through this action. However I could see disaster on the horizon and hoped my action would bring the vessel to a halt. However this did not happen. I was told a couple of months later that the ship was lost with all hands during a typhoon. For many years I blamed myself for not staying and trying to sort out. It was only on this web that I found out from Gulliver that the vessel according to Lloyds had not been lost but had gone to the breakers yard. This brought a great sense of relief to myself as you can imagine. I came under the Guild whilst working in Australia for 11 years and enjoyed the priviliges they had worked to gain. The ITF I never came into contact with and as said in previous posts never saw these wages paid to any of the foreign crews I worked with. I also said that I thought the Australian conditions must be the best in the world, and one should never look a gift horse in the face. I still maintain this. Best Regards John Sabourn